This blog has been put together in partnership with Love Beauty & Planet, because we really believe in what they're doing and the change they're making.
Every year, 120 billion units of packaging are produced globally to house our cosmetics. The worst part is, a lot of that packaging isn't recycled, often because people don't know whether they're recyclable or how to recycle them, or they're actually not able to be recycled in curbside recycling. There are programs like Terracycle that people can send their packaging to, but the reality is, collecting cosmetics bottles and sending them off to a company that can recycle them isn't too high on the average person's list of priorities.
A lot of us are well aware of the impact our waste has on the planet. We've opted for the bar form of our cosmetics and other plastic free options wherever we can, and we try to get our family and friends on board to do the same. But a lot of the time the reality is, many people want to do more to be kinder to our planet but often feel the product is hard to find, comes with a high price tag or they're not sure they'll do the job. Whilst products like bar shampoo holds so much merit, some of our friends and family aren't quite ready for that yet. And that means, plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles are still cluttering up the floor of a shower somewhere, even if it's not yours, and they'll soon reach their next stop - landfill.
A solution is available and it's called Love Beauty & Planet. Anyone can buy Love Beauty & Planet body wash, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion from big supermarkets and know that the bottles are not only made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, but the bottles themselves are also 100% recyclable (and soon the lids will be too!). This means that when you're done with the product, they can go in the recycling bin and have a second life!
If you do have to buy plastic (or you're trying to improve the purchasing habits of those around you), we'll always recommend that you buy recycled plastic. Why? Because everyone's recycling efforts are pretty much pointless if we're not buying things that are recycled. Buying recycled things is what closes the loop that keeps all of our recyclables in the system and out of landfill. If we don't buy recycled products, we're supporting a linear system where new resources are taken from the land, turned into products, consumed, and then wasted.
We can also feel good about recommending Love Beauty & Planet to our friends (or choosing it over other supermarket products in our times of need) because despite its big size, this company is all about sourcing their ingredients (such as fragrances) from suppliers that are committed to being ethical from start to finish of the process.
Another cool thing is that their conditioner is "fast rinse" (not to mention vegan, silicone and paraben free). You know how usually if you're using conditioner in the shower, everyone says you need to leave it in for a couple of minutes, and sometimes you're just hanging out, waiting with the water running? Well, Love Beauty & Planet developed a conditioner that can be rinsed out a whole lot sooner. That's a pretty big deal, because if every woman in Australia shortened her shower daily by just 10 seconds, it would provide enough drinking water for 14,000 people. A lot of our dams are running pretty low right now so that's important for us here in Australia! And it's great for you if the hot water runs out quickly at your house. 😉
So there you have it - maybe we won't be able to convert our mums, sisters, grandmas or best friends to bar shampoo and homemade body lotions just yet, but in the meantime, there's a pretty great alternative out there that's no more expensive than anything else on the supermarket shelf. Imagine if every single person in the country started using Love Beauty & Planet - the circular economy it could help foster, it's worth trying to make it happen!
Read this next: How to recycle plastic packaging
